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A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange Improvement Schemes

Information Leaflet February 2017

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ForewordBy Councillor Kevin Bentley

Essex is continuing to grow as a vibrant economic hub and as a fantastic place to live and work.

Managing and supporting this growth is Essex County Council’s top priority. Investment in

transport infrastructure plays a vital part in our plans to enable growth across the County.

There is clear evidence that a comprehensive and efficient transport system is an important

enabler of sustained economic prosperity.

Partners are working together to meet this challenge. A £1bn pipeline of infrastructure-enabling

investment is in progress, within our four strategic growth corridors (the A120, A12, M11 and

A13/A127). We know that the A127 is in need of improvement, particularly the A127/A130

Fairglen Interchange which is operating close to its capacity. We need to start making

improvements to relieve congestion at this busy interchange and reduce the significant

delays our road users are experiencing, particularly at peak times.

I am pleased to say that Essex County Council is working hard to determine options for improving

the Fairglen Interchange as quickly as possible, while at the same time looking at longer term

solutions for this interchange and to the A127 itself.

We feel it is essential that you, our road users and communities, are kept updated and have

the opportunity to have your say as the project progresses. This leaflet will explain the short-term

and long-term options that we are considering for the A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange, which we

will continue to develop following your feedback in February 2017, with a view to going to public

consultation on further-developed options in autumn-winter 2017/18.

Councillor Kevin BentleyDeputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Infrastructure and Partnerships

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A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange Improvement Schemes

Having examined the causes of

congestion and safety issues, we

are now ready to share two proposed

layout options for improvements to

the A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange.

At this point we have identified an

improved road layout for the short-

term that can be operational by 2022

– this is known as the funded scheme

option. This design will tackle traffic

issues for approximately 10 years after

opening. If the region continues to

grow, our technical assessments have

shown that a much larger scheme will

be needed by around 2031.

To make the best long-term use of the

current funding available, we have

developed a long-term scheme

option as well, which builds on

the short-term scheme.

The County Council is at present

(February 2017) releasing indicative

scheme layout options for both the

short-term funded option and

long-term option. This is so that local

communities and road users can

start to understand the future traffic

demands on the A127/A130 Fairglen

Interchange and connecting roads.

We are showing our approach for

solving these issues, before they

become a reality and before our road

network stops working effectively.

This is not the formal consultation for

these improvements, but we want to

hear your views now at an early stage.

We intend to progress feasibility

design and assessment for the

short-term funded scheme option

over the next two years, while we

continue to look at identifying funding

options for the long-term solution.

Where is the interchange?

The A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange

lies towards the southern part of

Essex, within the administrative areas

of Basildon Borough Council, Castle

Point Borough Council and Rochford

District Council.

The interchange is a key link in the

strategic highway network for

South Essex as shown opposite.

The interchange is made up of two

main elements - Fairglen Roundabout

and Rayleigh Spur Roundabout.

The A1245 intersects the A127 at

Fairglen Roundabout while the A130

intersects the A1245 at Rayleigh Spur

Roundabout. Both of the roundabouts

are connected via the A1245/A130 link.

Today, road users are experiencing unacceptable delays at this key interchange. The A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange is operating very close to its traffic capacity and in 5 to 10 years, capacity will be exceeded. This is why we have identified funding for improvements and have investigated a range of solutions. It is not an easy fix, especially with the predicted economic growth over the next 10 years and beyond, that will naturally lead to an increase in traffic on all roads in Essex.

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Rayleigh Wickford

Basildon

Fairglen Interchange A127

A130

A130

A13

A1245

Rayleigh Spur

Fairglen Roundabout

Carpenters Arms

Southend Sadlers Farm

Where is the interchange?

M25

M25

This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.100019602. 2017

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Who uses the interchange and how are they using it?

The Interchange is mainly used by

traffic heading to/from the east,

Southend and London Southend

Airport, in addition to other traffic

from Canvey Island, Basildon,

Rochford, Thurrock and Brentwood.

Regular road users travel through the

junction for many reasons such as

commuting, leisure, business and retail

trips, and there are also seasonal trips

made to and from Southend for tourism.

The Interchange currently experiences

significant congestion and delays on

a daily basis.

The Local Authorities across the South

Essex area each have significant plans

for growth in housing and jobs -

estimated to be more than 25,000

houses and 25,500 jobs up to the year

2031. This will add to the number of

people using the Interchange,

increasing the overall congestion level.

Current traffic flow data shows that the

A130 arm from the north has reached

its maximum capacity while all other

arms on the Rayleigh Spur and

Fairglen roundabouts are nearing

their maximum capacity.

The highest traffic flows are

experienced on the A127 westbound

towards London during the morning

peak period (7am to 8am) and A127

eastbound during the afternoon peak.

High flows are also noticed on the

A130 travelling towards Southend.

This results in higher congestion along

the A1245/A130 link, which connects

the two roundabouts at the A127/

A130 Fairglen Interchange.

What are the problems?

There are a number of problems

identified at the Interchange by

previous studies undertaken in

the surrounding area.

The problems identified are

listed below:

• High level of congestion

• Three major roads joining at one location which creates traffic conflicts

• Due to the high volume of road users, slower speeds are experienced with unreliable journey times

• Routes for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders are severed by the major roads

• A high proportion of rear end collisions have occurred at the Fairglen Roundabout on approaches and slip roads, potentially due to poor lane discipline, side swipe collisions and collisions in darkness

• Evidence of vehicle collisions at Rayleigh Spur caused by loss of control, possibly as a result of poor visual alignment on approaches

• The Interchange is affected by incidents on the wider road network.

Solution

From the initial assessment, the best

performing option was selected and

this is shown in the Figure ‘Short-Term

Option’ opposite. This is the highest

performing option that can be

delivered within the short-term

and available budget.

This option is an indicative design and

includes the following features:

• New ‘Southend Link Road’ north of railway from A130 southbound with a new junction on the A1245

• Widened slip roads on all Fairglen Roundabout arms

• Auxiliary lanes on both A127 on-slips

• Improvements at Rayleigh Spur Roundabout, including signal control.

This option is subject to further

development, which will affect the

overall layout and cost.

Rayleigh Spur

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5 lanes. Signalised arm. 3 lanes straight ahead. 2 lanes left only (at signals or free-flow lanes)*

2 lanes. Non-signalised arm

3 lanes

3 lanes 1 lane plus hard shoulder

Roundabout exit merges from 3 lanes down to 2lanes. Left-slip runs alongside to form third lane

Additional lane leading to new bypass lane at Rayleigh Spur Widens to 4 lanes

2 lane on-slip Longer slip lane

from on-slip

Off-slip expanded from 2 lanes to 4 lanes (A127/A1245)

2 lane on-slip. (1 lane existing, 1 lane new)

3 lane off-slip. (2 lanes existing,1 lane new)

Longer slip lane

Dedicated left turn lane onto A127and longer slip lane

2 lanes on approach to

stop line

New link road - direct access from A130 to A127 via A1245

Traffic lights. Northbound

carriageway widened to 3lanes through the junction

RAYLEIGH SPUR

3 lanes. Signalised arm

A130Canvey Island

A127Southend

A130Chelmsford

A127Basildon & London

A13London

Key

Retained existing carriageway

New / amended carriageway at existing level

*Design subject to further development


SHORT-TERM OPTION

Road alignment is indicative and is subject to further design development

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How the scheme will reduce congestion

Congestion at the A127/

A130 Fairglen Interchange

is already significant in the

morning peak; with predicted

growth, this will only get worse.

The following images

show the average length of

stop-start queues that are

forecast for 2036 in the

morning peak hours, and the

predicted average length of

queues once the funded

scheme option is operational.


Existing Layout2036 Morning Peak

Stop-Start Queues

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Stop-Start QueuesThis map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.100019602. 2017


Short-Term Option with Southend Link Road. 2036 Morning Peak


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Stop-Start Queues

How the scheme will reduce congestion

Congestion at the A127/

A130 Fairglen Interchange

is already significant in the

evening peak; with predicted

growth, this will only

get worse.

The following images

show the average length of

stop-start queues that are

forecast for 2036 in the

evening peak hours, and the

predicted average length of

queues once the funded

scheme option is operational.


Existing Layout 2036 Evening Peak

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Short-Term Option with Southend Link Road. 2036 Evening Peak

Stop-Start Queues


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Scheme objectives

Based on the problems identified, we

have set a number of scheme specific

objectives to enable us to assess the

options and help us to select the best

performing option to progress.

The objectives set for the A127/A130

Fairglen Interchange are:

Connectivity

• Accommodate/manage future travel demands to facilitate proposed growth in South Essex

• Ensure good connectivity to South Essex via key transport corridors.

Environment

• Improve opportunities for residents and employees in South Essex to access alternative sustainable modes and encourage their use

• Protect and enhance the natural, built and historic environment.

*Non-motorised users: pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders

Sustainability

• Improve connectivity for non- motorised users* at the A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange.

Safety

• Improve safety at A127/A130

Fairglen Interchange through

appropriate geometric design,

signage, speed limits and visibility.

Resilience

• Manage congestion at peak times

to ensure reliable journey times

through the A127/A130 Fairglen

Interchange

• Ensure Essex County Council assets

are appropriate for the future

highway network

• Keep the A127/A130 Fairglen

Interchange operational through

improved maintenance provision

and incident management.

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3rd lane becomes off-slip for Rayleigh Weir

Slip lane becomes additional third lane to Rayleigh Weir 2 lane

on-slip

Off-slip expanded from 2 lanes to 4 lanes (A127/A1245)

2 lane on-slip

3 lane off-slip

3 lanes in both directions

Dedicated left turn lane onto A127 and longer slip lane

2 lanes on approach to stop line

New link road - direct access from A130 to A127 via A1245

Traffic lights. Northbound carriageway widened to 3 lanes through the junction

RAYLEIGH SPUR

Flyover merges with on-slip to form 2 lanes

2 lanes on A127 become 3 lanes from Rayleigh Weir

A127/A130 dedicated left turn slip

A130 underpass to A130 South

Overpass (A130 North to A127 East)

Underpass and bypass merge to form 3 lanes

Enlarged non-signalised roundabout

Longer slip lane

A130Canvey Island

A127Southend

A130Chelmsford


A13London

Key

Retained existing carriageway

New / amended carriageway at existing level

New / amended carriageway above existing level (overpass)

New / amended carriageway beneath existing level (underpass)


LONG-TERM OPTION

A130Chelmsford

A127Southend

A13London

A130Canvey Island



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Why is the short-term option being progressed?

The preferred funded scheme

option was chosen based on the

following reasons:

• Improved reliability over other options by reducing the level of conflicting movements at the interchange

• Very high value for money

• Satisfies majority of the scheme objectives

• Has the ability to accommodate growth at this key location in South Essex to around 2031.

Future-proofing and need for a long-term solution

With the forecast growth of over

25,000 homes and 25,500 jobs up

to 2031, and proposed developments

such as the Lower Thames Crossing,

we need to be prepared. In order to

make sure that this scheme has a

lasting legacy and will not obstruct

future improvements to the highway

UNTIL SUMMER 2017Progression of environmental assessment,

scheme design and refinement

AUTUMN-WINTER 2017/18

Public Consultation on the next stage of scheme design

2021/22

Construction works2019

Planning application

Timeline of Short-Term Option

network at this key interchange, we

have looked at a long-term solution.

There is extensive design work to be

undertaken, but we wanted to share

the current indicative long-term

scheme layout to show what might be

needed in the future.

The indicative long-term solution is

shown in the Figure ‘Long-Term Option’

on page 13. The recommended

long-term solution has greater value

for money and a lower cost in

comparison to other assessed

long-term options.

It also enhances and builds on the

Short-Term Option.

Next steps

This is the start of our engagement

on this scheme and over the coming

months we will continue to speak

with local councillors, community

representatives and property owners.

Once the next stage of technical

development – feasibility design –

is progressed, we plan to hold a public

consultation in autumn-winter 2017/18

to share more detail on the short-term

funded scheme.

If you have any questions about the scheme now or in the future you can contact us at [email protected]

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DS16_5430

This information is issued by

Essex County Council Contact us:

[email protected] www.essex.gov.uk/fairglen

Essex County Council County Hall Chelmsford Essex CM1 1QH

Sign up to Keep Me Posted email updates: essex.gov.uk/keepmeposted

Essex_CC facebook.com/essexcountycouncil

The information contained in this document can be translated, and/or made available in alternative formats, on request.

Published February 2017

http://www.essexhighways.org/Transport-and-Roads/Highway-Schemes-and-Developments/major-schemes/a127-a130-fairglen-interchange.aspx

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